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Ruins of St. Paul's in Macau are marvelous sample of the Catholic history of this former Portuguese colony. The greatest among the churches in Macau, the Macau St. Paul Cathedral is illustrious for its architecture and religious importance. Patronized by the colonial masters, this prime spot on your Macau sightseeing tour is undoubtedly the best example of the sundry culture of Macau. Built in 1582, this greatest of churches in Macau was inaugurated as an educational college, Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Beijing as astronomers and mathematicians.
A-Ma Temple already existed before the city of Macao came into being. Macau's name is dedicated to the god A-Ma (Mother and Queen of the Sea) whom Macau is named after and this temple dedicated to the seafarers' goddess dates from the early 16th century. Legend has it that A-Ma was a poor girl travelling to China, but was turned away by wealthy junk owners. Finally, a fisherman took her to Macau, withstanding a storm that sunk all the other junks. Later, she reappeared to the fisherman as a goddess and so he built here this temple. Situated on the southern tip of Macau, the temple has a friendly, relaxing environment.
The Macau Museum of Art, a new local cultural facility situated in the Cultural Center of Macau in the Outer Harbour area, was inaugurated on 19 March 1999. The Museum, with a total area of 10192 square meters, of which about 4,000 square metres are exhibition areas, is the only art museum in Macau. Macao is a renowned historical city having both Asian and Western characteristics. As an art Museum, display here is such taste with the speciality of traditional oriental culture combined with the artistic flavour of the Western civilization. Visitors will feel the unique atmosphere of art and culture here through exhibitions.
The museum is located more or less on the spot where the first Portuguese landed, to find a temple dedicated to Taoist goddess of the sea A-Ma. The place was called A-Ma Hau, "place of A-Ma", which became Macau. Maritime Museum, located just opposite the A-Ma Temple, has been extraordinarily well laid out. Macau used to be a world famous seaport until early this century when Hong Kong replaced its role. This museum commemorates Macau's maritime history. The museum not only covers Macau's long history at sea, but maritime history from around the world. Beside the maritime history, visitors can also enjoy the miniature aquarium and the boat ride around the inner harbor.
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